Greeks,Romans and Gods Read The Lightning Thief
by piper098
Summary: The 7 plus Nico, Thalia, Reyna, Grover, and Octavian and the gods read about Percy's adventures. Additional demigods may join from time to time.
1. Introductions are made

**Disclaimer: No matter how much i wish i did, i do not own PJO, HoO or any of the characters **

**Bold=novel**_ italic= comments_

Annabeth went to check on the Argo II's progress while she left her sibling Malcolm in charge of planning the strategy for that night's game of capture the flag against the Hunters. _When i get to you Seaweed Brain, you will regret ever vanishing_, Annabeth thought as she made her way to Leo who just happened to be looking for her. "Leo, how much longer till the ship os ready? We need to leave soon." Leo looked at her with a hint of nervousness in his face. "That's what i was just coming to tell you. Um we need to delay a little longer-" "WHAT!" Annabeth yelled. Her eyes were a dark stormy grey and that terrified Leo. "Its only a minor set back. I'm sure it will be fixed in time to leave!" Before Annabeth could respond, her and Leo were engulfed in a flash of grey light.

Jason was with Piper taking a walk around the camp. Piper was about to kiss him when they heard a commotion behind them. Piper looked and hardened her gaze. "Drew what are you doing following us?" Drew could only stammer a response out. "I w-w-was just g-g-g-g-getting a p-p-p-p-picture of the n-new c-c-couple." Jason turned red in the face while Piper just smiled. "You could just ask instead of following us like a creepy stalker." Drew was about to snap a photo of them when Jason and Piper were engulfed in a flash of pink light. Drew ran away scared out of her mind.

Thalia was trying to convince Grover that it wasn't his fault about her being turned into tree to no prevail. "Grover! You are insufferable! Don't make me shock you into believing its not your fault!" Grover just whined, "But it is my fault. i was suppose to protect you and I failed in that job." Thalia was getting angry and clouds were forming in sky. Thalia was getting charged with electricity and was about to summon lightning to zap Grover when they were engulfed in a blue flash of light.

~ Camp Jupiter~

Percy, Reyna, and Octavian were in a Senate meeting. "Octavian, shut the Hades up! If I hear one more thing about how you should be Praetor, I swear to Gods I will throw you into the ocean!" Percy yelled. Reyna hid a snicker at Octavian's red face and Percy's comment. "All right Percy that's enough." Reyna said. "If nothing else is to be said then this meeting is adjourned." Percy said and the room cleaned out. Octavian ran up to Percy and said, "Never talk to me like that again _graecus_." Percy was about to punch him when Reyna stopped him. "As much as i don't like him, Percy we just cant punch him." Nico happened to walk up to them when all four when engulfed in a sea-green light. Frank and Hazel were walking along when they were engulfed in a black light.

~Mount Olympus~

Everyone was sitting in their thrones when a blinding white light flashed in the middle of the room. In it were a bunch of demigods and a satyr. "What are you demigods doing here?" thundered Zeus. "What you didn't summon us?" Annabeth asked. "No we didn't so why are you here?" asked Hera. Annabeth only glared at Hera. Then a note appeared long with a box in front of Athena. Athena picked up the box and began to read. "Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and Heroes of Olympus series" She then opened up the letter and began to read that out loud.

_Gods, Demigods, and Satyr_

_We have sent these demigods and satyr back in time so everyone can read about a young hero's adventures because he is too modest and will downplay everything. Time is frozen and will remain that way until every book is read. At the end of this no one will remember it until it comes to pass. Have the demigods and Satyr introduce themselves. And no one is to be hurt Zeus or else you will destroy the future._

_signed the most awesomest god ever Apollo. _

"I guess we should introduce ourselves then. I'll go first. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena." _ If we were sent back in time, then could that mean HE is here? _Annabeth wondered. She looked around and spotted several demigods she didn't know and then she seen him. There was Percy in all his Seaweed Brain glory. "What year is it exactly?" Annabeth questioned before decided if it would be safe to go kiss Percy. When she was told the year she knew she couldn't kiss Percy. the introductions continued.

"Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus."

"Piper Mclean, daughter of Aphrodite."

"Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, Lieutenant to the Hunters of Artemis."

"ZEUS! YOU BROKE THE OATH!" yelled Poseidon and Hades together. Zeus just looked a Thalia. "How are you not a tree?" "Its explained in the books."

"Nico Di Angelo, son of Hades. And before you say anything about the oath, i was born before the oath and placed in the Lotus Hotel."

"Grover Underwood, Lord of the Wild."

"Jason Grace, son of Jupiter."

"Why are Romans here?" asked Athena. Again Annabeth responded with it will be explained in the book.

"Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto."

"Frank Zhang. son of Mars."

"Reyna Ramirez, daughter of Bellona."

" Octavian, legacy of Apollo."

"Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon."

"Now that is out of the way lets get on with reading shall we?" Athena said. "Who wants to read first?" She asked. "I will." Annabeth replied.


	2. I ACCIDENTALLY VAPORIZE MY PRE-ALGEBRA

Disclaimer: No matter how much i grovel, I do not own PJO or HoO and their characters. All rights are sadly :( given to Rick Riordan. I will update as often as i finish each chapter. Time for some shout outs to my reviewers!

claudia: Thanks! I figured time traveling would work for this more than anything.

LadyofStarClan: i swear on the River Styx to update as soon as i finish each chapter *thunder booms*

NoNumbersInMyUsername: Thank you for pointing out my misstep with Octavian! i want this to be as accurate as possible. Annabeth and Percy cant kiss right now because their relationship isnt known of as yet but don't worry that will change and possibly result in some "violence" from Athena to Percy  
*evil laughter ensues*

fortesque: i am truly sorry about that, but i hope you will enjoy this with the comments and actions of certain demigods

As always Read&Review ~Piper098 

**Chapter 1 I ACCIDENTALLY VAPORIZE MY PRE-ALGEBRA **

_"How is it even possible to vaporize a math teacher?" Hermes asked. "With Kelp Head, anything is possible," Thalia responded. Percy just blushed which Annabeth found cute. Aphrodite felt a ripple through her domain rolling off of these demigods. _"Ooh whose love life do i get to play with?" _ She wondered._

**Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood.**

_Every demigod shook their head in agreement. The Gods noticed this and wondered if it was that bad._

**If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.**

_"Everyone watch out Seaweed Brain is giving advice!" Annabeth yelled. "I feel bad for anyone who listened," Nico commented. "Put a sock in it Death breath. And Wise Girl i can give good advice from time to time." Percy said._

**Being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.**

Every demigod put their heads down in remembrance of all of their fallen comrades.

**If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened. But if you recognize yourself in these pages - if you feel something stirring inside - stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you.**

"Not bad advice coming from Percy considering he is reckless," commented Reyna.

**Don't say I didn't warn you.**

"You didn't!" shouted everyone but Percy who was busy being red as a tomato.

**My name is Percy Jackson.**

"No duh. It said it on the cover!" commented Leo.

**I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.**

**Am I a troubled kid?**

Every demigod, including Percy, shook their head yes.

**Yeah. You could say that.**

"Oh no we are thinking like Percy ," Nico commented while everyone else laughed, excluding Percy who happened to be red in the face.

**I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it, but things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan - twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.**

"Sounds like torture," Poseidon said. Athena and Annabeth were excited about the prospect of such fun and then glared at Poseidon for his lack of culture. "Daughter, you and i will go there on a field trip." Annabeth squealed in delight at the prospect of bonding time with her mom.

**I know - it sounds like torture. Most Yancy field trips were.**

"Like father like son," Nico said. Annabeth stalked towards Percy glaring at him. Percy got up to run for his life when Annabeth reached him. "Torture, really Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth stopped talking and Judo-flipped Percy. "How was that for torture?" He was speechless to say the least. Athena smiled at her daughter proudly.

**But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes. ****Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee. You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn't put me to sleep.**

"That sounds like Chiron," Annabeth said while Percy just smiled like the seaweed brain he was.

**I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn't get in trouble.**

"Yea, you not in trouble is like he Stolls not pulling pranks" Thalia yelled. She got an answer from Percy by being drench in seawater. "You are so going to pay for that Kelp Head" Thalia ran to Percy and gave him an electrified slap that echoed through out the room. The Gods just watched how their children interacted with one another. Even Hades was shocked how they treated his son. He was accepted and not treated differently. Annabeth couldn't help laughing at how bad Percy's hair stuck out from being shocked. "What is so funny? Do i have something on my face?" Percy questioned as more demigods laughed. Even Hermes and Apollo joined in. Aphrodite summoned a mirror for Percy to look in. "AHHHH! Thalia look at what you did! You made my face red!" Percy yelled at her which caused another round of laughter to erupt at his expense. "Perseus dear, look higher," Aphrodite giggled. Percy looked and seen his hair. He became red in the face as realization dawned on him aat what they were laughing at. "Can we get on with the story please?"

**Boy, was I wrong. ****See, bad things happen to me on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn't aiming for the school bus, but of course I got expelled anyway. And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim. And the time before that... Well, you get the idea.**

"Aw c'mon Percy spill the goods!" Hermes begged. "Well in third grade we took a trip to a museum and i managed to knock over T-Rex exhibit which crushed the dinosaur bones next to it and managed to get banned from ever stepping foot into tht museum again." This caused everyone, even Percy and Poseidon, to laugh. "Are you sure you are Uncle's son and not mine?" Hermes asked.

**This trip, I was determined to be good. ****All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl, hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich.**

At the mention of the sandwich, Aphrodite and Piper turned a sickly shade of green while everyone else said ew.

**Grover was an easy target. He was scrawny. He cried when he got frustrated. He must've been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was crippled. He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don't let that fool you. You should've seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.**

"I am not scrawny! Is that how you saw me?" Grover question with a hint of hurt in his eyes. Percy told the truth and said, " Tht was the best description i had t the time, but it doesnt apply now." "Damn right it doesn't apply. I am the one who works scrawny, not a satyr!" Leo yelled. "SHUT UP LEO!" every demigod minus Octavian, Reyna,Frank, and Hazel who didn't know him.

**Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn't do anything back to her because I was already on probation. The headmaster had threatened me with death by in-school suspension if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip.**

"That sounds terrible!" Hermes shouted while nearly falling out of his throne. Apollo had to agree with Hermes. The boys in the room all shuddered aat the thought of in-school suspension.

**"I'm going to kill her," I mumbled. **

"Do it punk. kill the girl," chanted crazed Ares. Everyone scooted away from him and Artemis decided to keep a close watch on him.

**Grover tried to calm me down. "It's okay. I like peanut butter."**

"In your hair? Grover honey that is not a good look for you. I don't think anyone could pull that off and trust me i know. After all i am the Goddess of Love." Grover just turned deep shade a red. Leo snickered at this but immediately shut up when a dagger nearly missed his head. He looked and saw a weaponless Annabeth.

**He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch.**

**"That's it." I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat.**

**"You're already on probation," he reminded me. "You know who'll get blamed if anything happens."**

**Looking back on it, I wish I'd decked Nancy Bobofit right then and there. In-school suspension would've been nothing compared to the mess I was about to get myself into.**

Poseidon paled at that comment. Percy grew nervous because of the look Annabeth was giving him. She knew what was coming but still feared for him.

**Mr. Brunner led the museum tour.**

**He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery.**

**It blew my mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand, three thousand years.**

"Longer than that sea spawn," Athena commented. Annabeth hated that her mom called Percy that.

**He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting, but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye.**

"Wow Kelp head, you were actually interested in something that dealt with history?" Thalia commented. Annabeth snickered t how red Percy was.

**Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown. ****From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was devil spawn. She would point her crooked finger at me and say, "Now, honey," real sweet, and I knew I was going to get after-school detention for a month.**

Hades paled s did Nico. They knew who Mrs. Dodds was. Poseidon took note of this but waited to do anything.

**One time, after she'd made me erase answers out of old math workbooks until midnight, I told Grover I didn't think Mrs. Dodds was human. He looked at me, real serious, and said, "You're absolutely right."**

"Way to blow your cover Grover!" Annabeth yelled. "Well he made the comment and even if she was human i still would have said that" Grover defended. "WHICH ONE OF YOU SENT A MONSTER AFTER MY SON?" Poseidon boomed. Hades paled and Poseidon noticed. "It better not be the Minotaur or the Furies Hades or i will kill you."

**Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art.**

**Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and I turned around and said, "Will you shut up?"**

**It came out louder than I meant it to.**

"Of course i came out louder than i meant it to." Percy said as if it was a normal thing for him to say.

**The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.**

**"Mr. Jackson," he said, "did you have a comment?"**

**My face was totally red. I said, "No, sir."**

**Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"**

**I looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually recognized it. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"**

"Wow you actually knew something?" Octavian questioned. Percy got mad. "Shut up Octavian" "Is that request or an order?" Octavian retorted. "As one of your praetors, i order you to shut up." Percy deadpanned. Octavian was shell shocked along with Frank, Hazel and Reyna. "As much as his pains me to say this, we as praetors can't order him to shut up even though i hate him. So...Octavian doesn't have to shut up," Reyna explained in a disgusted manner. Then a letter appeared by Annabeth that said read me.

_Dear Council and demigods,_

_as of recent events, we have decreed that whatever gods/praetors/cabin counselors/lord order goes. so Octavian has to shut up. I know what most of yall are thinking and yes we are watching this play out. Oh and before we forget Hera/Poseidon/Zeus/Hades/Athena/Ares no maiming, cursing, transforming, killing of fighting any of these demigods. they are needed to save the future so destroy them, you destroy the future. I was told to say that Apollo is awesome._

_-Hermes_

_p.s. there was a big fight over this but since i'm adding this note i say that Thalia is the head counselor for cabin 1 because she is so very hot. sorry past me for whats about to happen~Apollo the awesome_

Before Thalia could even shock Apollo, Jason beat her to it which was combined with Artemis's hit. Apollo fell out of his throne. Thalia just stared at her brother and Mistress in awe. Before any more damage was done Annabeth interrupted by asking a question. "Can we get back to reading please?"

**"Yes," Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. "And he did this because ..."**

**"Well..." I racked my brain to remember. "Kronos was the king god, and - "**

"God! Why that boy shall pay for his-" Zeus got cut off by golden chains restraining him to his chair. "For attempting to harm one of the young heroes, you will be restrained to the throne until the end of the chapter by the order of the Fates." Percy explained himself very quickly, "I corrected myself Lord Zeus."

**"God?" Mr. Brunner asked.**

**"Titan," I corrected myself. "And ... he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters - "**

**"Eeew!" said one of the girls behind me.**

**" - and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," I continued, "and the gods won."**

**Some snickers from the group.**

**Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.'"**

**"And why, Mr. Jackson," Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"**

"Busted." Grover commented.

**"Busted," Grover muttered.**

**"Shut up," Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair.**

**At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears.**

**I thought about his question, and shrugged. "I don't know, sir."**

**"I see." Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. "Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"**

**The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.**

"When are men not doofuses?" Artemis said. Percy was hurt by this comment and it showed on his face some. Artemis noticed this but said nothing. Annabeth also realized this and got up to comfort Percy. Athena was curious at why her daughter did this but didn't act on it. Annabeth just realized how much Percy has changed the gods for the best.

**Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Mr. Jackson."**

**I knew that was coming.**

**I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned toward Mr. Brunner. "Sir?"**

**Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go - intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old and had seen everything.**

**"You must learn the answer to my question," Mr. Brunner told me.**

**"About the Titans?"**

**"About real life. And how your studies apply to it."**

**"Oh."**

**"What you learn from me," he said, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson."**

**I wanted to get angry, this guy pushed me so hard.**

**I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman armor and shouted: "What ho!'" and challenged us, sword-point against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman person who had ever lived, and their mother, and what god they worshipped. But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact that I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C - in my life. No - he didn't expect me to be as good; he expected me to be better. And I just couldn't learn all those names and facts, much less spell them correctly.**

"And before there are any snide comments, i now know why he did what he did,"Percy said. Annabeth smiled at her Seaweed Brain.

**I mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the stele, like he'd been at this girl's funeral.**

**He told me to go outside and eat my lunch.**

**The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.**

**Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city. I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York state had been weird since Christmas. We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in.**

"Why are you two arguing now?" Athena asked. "How are we suppose to know this takes place in the future!" Poseidon explained. Athena was shocked that he had a valid argument.

**Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing.**

**Grover and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from that school - the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.**

**"Detention?" Grover asked.**

**"Nah," I said. "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean - I'm not a genius."**

**Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, "Can I have your apple?"**

"Annabeth and Thalia burst out laughing. "Typical Grover moment." Annabeth commented.

**I didn't have much of an appetite, so I let him take it.**

**I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom's apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn't seen her since Christmas. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She'd hug me and be glad to see me, but she'd be disappointed, too. She'd send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me.**

"Mama's boy." Ares muttered. "At least he loves his mother unlike some children." Hera said which earned her glares from every demigod in the room. "What did i do to deserve those looks?" Hera asked. "Go eat Hades underpants you old hag!" Thalia yelled at Hera. When she was about to turn Thalia into a cow, the same golden chains that held Zeus now held her. The same voice came on and charged Hera. "For trying to transform Artemis's Lieutenant/Zeus's daughter, you Hera will remained chained to your throne for two chapters as decreed by the Fates. Thalia, for provoking a Goddess, you won't be able to comment for the rest of the chapter by any means as decreed by the Fates." Thalia soon discovered that she was also chained to her seat and she had duct tape over her mouth to prevent talking.

**Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized cafe table.**

**I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of me with her ugly friends - I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists - and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.**

**"Oops." She grinned at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos.**

**I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, "Count to ten, get control of your temper." But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears.**

**I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"**

**Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.**

**Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see - "**

**" - the water - "**

**" - like it grabbed her - "**

**I didn't know what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was in trouble again.**

**As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc., etc., Mrs. Dodds turned on me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester. "Now, honey - "**

"You did." Hazel said which caused everyone to jump. "I forgot you were even there daughter of Pluto, i guess all of his children are forgettable," Octavian commented. Hazel had tears in her eyes. This caused Percy and Nico to charge Octavian. "No one insults my family!" both yelled together. Nico appeared behind Octavian and held him in place while Percy summoned water shackles on Octavian. "As praetor, i here by order Nico to beat the living snot out of you and you can not fight back," Percy deadpanned. Nobody contradicted Percy. Reyna knew that to insult one's family was a hit at that person's honor. Percy placed the shackles on Octavian and made them very tight and froze them in place. Nico summoned some dead and had them drag Octavian kicking and screaming into another room. His screams could be heard through out the throne room. 20 minutes had passed when Nico came back with Octavian being dragged back. He had a busted lip, two black eyes and his arm and leg were bent at awkward angles. Apollo healed Octavian. Percy released he shackles. The Fates didn't intervene, which meant the punishment was just.

**"I know," I grumbled. "A month erasing workbooks."**

"Never guess your punishment" Hermes shouted causing Demeter to scream.

**That wasn't the right thing to say.**

**"Come with me," Mrs. Dodds said.**

**"Wait!" Grover yelped.**

**"It was me. I pushed her."**

**I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for me. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death.**

**She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled.**

**"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood," she said.**

**"But - "**

**"You - will - stay - here."**

**Grover looked at me desperately.**

**"It's okay, man," I told him. "Thanks for trying."**

**"Honey," Mrs. Dodds barked at me. "Now."**

**Nancy Bobofit smirked.**

**I gave her my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare.**

"And she lived after you gave that stare?" Frank asked curious about his new friend/praetor. Percy shook his head yes.

**Then I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on.**

**How'd she get there so fast?**

**I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank place behind it. The school counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.**

**I wasn't so sure.**

"Listen to that feeling son," Poseidon muttered.

**I went after Mrs. Dodds.**

**Halfway up the steps, I glanced back at Grover. He was looking pale, cutting his eyes between me and Mr. Brunner, like he wanted Mr. Brunner to notice what was going on, but Mr. Brunner was absorbed in his novel.**

**I looked back up. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.**

**Okay, I thought. She's going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop.**

**But apparently that wasn't the plan.**

**I followed her deeper into the museum. When I finally caught up to her, we were back in the Greek and Roman section.**

**Except for us, the gallery was empty.**

**Mrs. Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling.**

**Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it...**

**"You've been giving us problems, honey," she said.**

**I did the safe thing. I said, "Yes, ma'am."**

**She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?"**

**The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.**

**She's a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she's going to hurt me.**

"She's a monster! Of course she was going to hurt you!" Leo yelled.

**I said, "I'll - I'll try harder, ma'am."**

**Thunder shook the building.**

**"We are not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain."**

**I didn't know what she was talking about.**

**All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room. Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book.**

**"Well?" she demanded.**

**"Ma'am, I don't..."**

**"Your time is up," she hissed.**

**Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons.**

"YOU SENT A FURY AFTER MY SON? I WILL MURDER YOU HADES!" Poseidon yelled while charging Hades. after Hades face was covered in golden ichor, Poseidon took a seat and gestured for Annabeth to continue reading.

**Then things got even stranger.**

**Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand.**

**"What ho, Percy!" he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air.**

**Mrs. Dodds lunged at me.**

**With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear. I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword - Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day.**

**Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eyes.**

**My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword.**

**She snarled, "Die, honey!"**

"Still with the honey thing? that's just plain creepy now." Leo commented.

**And she flew straight at me.**

**Absolute terror ran through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally: I swung the sword.**

**The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. Hisss!**

**Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching me.**

"How is swinging a sword natural? and are we going to be hearing a lot of water puns?" Jason asked curious. Percy just shrugged..

**I was alone.**

**There was a ballpoint pen in my hand.**

**Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but me.**

**My hands were still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something.**

"And no magic mushrooms don't exist," Demeter said setting the record straight.

**Had I imagined the whole thing?**

**I went back outside.**

**It had started to rain.**

**Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. **

**Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. **

**When she saw me, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt."**

**I said, "Who?"**

**"Our teacher. Duh!"**

**I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. I asked Nancy what she was talking about.**

**She just rolled her eyes and turned away.**

**I asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.**

**He said, "Who?"**

**But he paused first, and he wouldn't look at me, so I thought he was messing with me.**

"Grover you seriously need lying lessons," Hermes said.

**"Not funny, man," I told him. "This is serious."**

**Thunder boomed overhead.**

**I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved.**

**I went over to him.**

**He looked up, a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson."**

**I handed Mr. Brunner his pen. I hadn't even realized I was still holding it.**

**"Sir," I said, "where's Mrs. Dodds?"**

**He stared at me blankly. "Who?"**

**"The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher."**

**He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. "Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at YancyAcademy. Are you feeling all right?"**

"And thats it for chapter 1. Who wants to read next?" Annabeth asked. Since it was the end of the chapter, Zeus was released from his bonds as was Thalia. "I will! I want to see first hand what Kelp Head was thinking!" Thalia said. Annabeth gave her friend the book. Then a growl was heard. Everyone looked at Reyna and Leo. "What i'm hungry." Leo started plainly while Reyna just blushed. "After lunch we will read chapter 2." Athena said.


	3. Lunch with a Few surprises

**Disclaimer: I dont own PJO, HoO or characters.**

Annabeth handed the book to Thalia. Athena suggested that they go eat. They went to the kitchen. Every demigod was in awe. The kitchen had twelve of everything. Everyone rummaged the fridges and food pantrys.

Percy came out with a plate of blue waffles and a blue cherry coke. Annabeth had a greek salad. Leo made his famous tacos.

Hazel had a New Orleans classic: gumbo. Thalia and Jason went for some pizza while Frank went for a burger and fries. The rest decided to share some pizza and salad.

Grover dove into stash of aluminium cans and apples. Hades asked Hestia to make him a steak and Nico asked for some BBQ.

Hestia gladly aquired the food being the Goddess of the Hearth had its perks. the gods sat in their respective seats while their children decided to sit with whomever they wanted.

Athena found it odd the her daughter sat next to the sea spawn. Aphrodite felt love radiating from the son of Poseidon, the son of Jupiter, her daughter, the son of Hephaestus, the satyr and Athena's daughter.

She even felt love radiating from Mars son,Pluto's son and unrequitted love from Bellona's daughter. She even felt secret love coming from Hade's son. "This will be sooo much fun playing with love," Aphrodite thought.

She wondered who was in love with who. She decided to start with her daughter first since she could get answers from her.

She decided to wait for a little bit.

Everyone ate without anything interesting happening.

It was after lunch that the fun began. The gods and demigods decided to mingle a bit and get to know eachother. That was when Percy noticed tht a certain goddess was missing. "Where's Hera?"

"Seaweed Brain! Remember she got punished by the Fates for attempting to transform Thalia?" Annabeth said. Then it dawned on her that Hera might be hungry as well. "Don't worry Wise Girl, i'll go take her food," Percy said.

Aphrodite cooed at this display. "So their kids are dating...OMG! This will definitely be delicious when it all comes out." But before Percy left to get the food, he was dog-piled. "We missed you so much Percy!"

"Hera's plan for an exchange worked but she could have at least warned us first!" The gods were amazed at this display of affection. they couldnt believe that this young emigod inspired such loyalty and love.

"Will you let me up please!" Percy yelled/begge. He was freed but not without a comment. "Why must we feed the evil witch? She's the reason why we missed you." Thali sid. "What did Hera do exactly?" Athena asked. No one answered.

Athena looked to her daughter for answers but found none. "let me guess, any questions we have will be ansered in the books?" Athena asked. Every demigod and satyr in the room nodded their heads.

Percy left with the food for Hera before violence broke out.

"They forgot i was here. i will curse everyone of those demigods and that pesky satyr. i will torment each and every god/goddess. I will have my-" Hera was cut-off from her planning when a demigod carrying food came into the room.

"I'm sorry that you were forgotten at first. i would have been out sooner but i got caught in a dog pile. i hope this pleases you." "Thank you demigod. Who is your father by chance?" "It is Lord Poseidon, Lady Hera. Would you like me to help you eat?"

"What was your name again?" "Its Perseus but everyone calls me Percy." "Perseus where did you learn how to treat a lady?"

"My mother raised me to treat everyone with respect and treat women how i would want her treated." Hera teared up at how much this boy loved his mother.

She couldn't believe that this boy could care so much for the woman. " Thank you for being so kind to me." Percy just bowed and blushed red at the compliment.

No matter how much he didnt like Hera at the moment, he would still be nice to her for three reason. One: She doesnt know what she will do. Two: He was raised to treat everyone respectfully.

And three was a big reason: She was a goddess who could torment him worse than she already has.

Everyone else was coming into the room when Aphrodite pulled Piper aside. "Tell me who the couples are!" "There is me and Jason and Percy and Annabeth."

Aphrodite couldnt believe her ears. A son of Poseidon and a daughter of Athena dating. A son of Jupiter and her daughter dating. "What about the son of Hades and the daughter of Bellona and the Satyr and the other two Romans?"

"Grover has a girlfriend named Juniper and Nico and the Romans i dont know so i cant say" "And the legacy of Apollo?"

"NO idea what so ever." 'And one last question, do their godly parents know?" "Im not sure about Percy's and Annabeth's but i know you know about me and Jason."

Aphrodite was excited at the prospect of revealing these little romances! as they were settling in to read another chapter, a blinding light appeared in the middle of the room.

Out stepped a mortal woman and a cyclops with a note. "Where-" the woman began when she noticed he gods and bowed. "My lords and ladys i am sorry but why have i been summoned to Olympus?" Then the Cyclops looked around and said, "Father Everything is good down in the Forges.

Have you heard from Percy? Do you have peanut butter sandwiches?" Before any of the gods could speak a voice was heard. "Mom?" Then a raven-haired blur rushed up to the womn and hugged her. "Oh mom i missed you so much. i thought i would never see you again.

I'm sorry i havent messaged you. I love you mom!" Percy said wth tears streaming down his face. The woman sqeezed him right back. "Its ok Percy i figured you were busy off saving the world. I missed you too and i love you more thn you could ever know. Its good seeing you again."

Aphrodite could feel the love between him and his mom. Even Hera's domain was affected. It was affected her so much that she was crying golden ichor tears. "Brother! We have found you!"

"Hey Tyson buddy how-argg-ache-cant-breathe" Percy mananged before being squeezed to death. Tyson heard him and gently put him down. That was when Thalia cleared her throat. "Ok now that is out of the way, can we read the letter?" Sally read the letter out loud.

Dear demigods and gods,

we have sent Sally Jackson, Percy's Mom, and his brother Tyson to learn of his exploits since he won't tell them all he has done. And please do not reveal anything about the future.

Yes you were sent back in time. Sally this was before Percy got kicked out of Yancy Academy, Enjoy reading and i also figured your mother deserved to know what you have been up to

signed Hera

Everyone was shocked at this revelation. They couldnt believe that the she devil actually did something nie for once without prompting from the other gods.

When everyone was settled in nd seated where they wanted to be at, Thalia began to read finally the next chapter in the book.

**Authors note: **

**I will be doing the whole series along with HoO. i hope Tyson's entrance wasnt a disappointment. be prepared for hell to break loose soon. as always read and review.**

**oh here have cookie (::) ~Piper098 out**


	4. THREE OLD LADIES KNIT THE SOCKS OF DEATH

**_Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, HoO, or any of the characters. Oh there is a time change from when the demigods were taken so apologies t everyone if they get confused._**

**Chapter 2 THREE OLD LADIES KNIT THE SOCKS OF DEATH**

"Must you name each chapter this stupid Fish Boy?"Leo asked. This resulted in being doused in freezing cold water by Poseidon.

**I was used to the occasional weird experience, but usually they were over quickly. This twenty-four/seven hallucination was more than I could handle. For the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be playing some kind of trick on me. The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced that Mrs. Kerr - a perky blond woman whom I'd never seen in my life until she got on our bus at the end of the field trip - had been our pre-algebra teacher since Christmas.**

**Every so often I would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would stare at me like I was psycho.**

**It got so I almost believed them - Mrs. Dodds had never existed.**

**Almost.**

"Let me guess it was the oh so powerful Lord of the Wild, Grover?" Thalia said. Grover just turned red and babbled about not being able to hide things from Percy that good.

**But Grover couldn't fool me. When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, then claim she didn't exist. But I knew he was lying.**

"I will get my children to teach you to lie young satyr," Hermes said. A light flashed in the room and there stood two boys who looked a like. "The Stolls. It just had to be them idiots," mumble Thalia. Percy grew an enormous smile. "If it isn't my favorite prankster twins." "Percy!" they yelled in unison. Hermes knew from the way they looked that they were his. "Before you even ask, you were sent back in time to here Kelp Head's adventures since he won't say anything and you must introduce yourselves." Thalia said. The boys had a mischievous glint in their eyes. "We are Travis and Connor Stoll, sons of Hermes, pranksters extraordinaire." Hermes just smiled at their antics. "Can we continue already, I'm getting bored?" Ares said.

**Something was going on. Something had happened at the museum.**

**I didn't have much time to think about it during the days, but at night, visions of Mrs. Dodds with talons and leathery wings would wake me up in a cold sweat.**

**The freak weather continued, which didn't help my mood. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room. A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the HudsonValley touched down only fifty miles from YancyAcademy. One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year.**

"Are you trying to kill my son?" Sally and Poseidon yelled at Zeus. He shrunk back in his seat from fear of the demigod's parents.

**I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grades slipped from Ds to Fs. I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends. I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class.**

Athena looked horrified at the prospect of suck bad grades. Percy snickered which earned him a smack in the head from Annabeth.

**Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I snapped. I called him an old sot. I wasn't even sure what it meant, but it sounded good.**

At this name, Athena and Annabeth burst out laughing. "What did i say that was funny?" Percy asked. "An old sot means drunkard. You called your teacher a drunkard." Annabeth explained. Percy smirked as Thalia glared. "I'm glad he insulted a mean teacher but can we please get back to the story?"

**The headmaster sent my mom a letter the following week, making it official: I would not be invited back next year to YancyAcademy.**

**Fine, I told myself. Just fine.**

**I was homesick.**

"Punk," Ares said. "Young man, that is my son you are talking about. He missed me which is good to know, so i would hush right now before i get angry with you." Sally said which shocked everyone in the room. Percy never seen his mother get like that. Everyone in the room shut up immediately. Hera was smugly thinking, "So thats why he is kind." Percy broke the silence and said, "Mom, are you ok?" "No i'm not ok. He is calling you a punk for missing your mom. i know he has a rocky relationship with his, he doesn't have to pick on you considering how many times you have saved his sorry butt." Percy hugged his mom and motioned Thalia to continue reading.

**I wanted to be with my mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious stepfather and his stupid poker parties.**

**And yet... there were things I'd miss at Yancy. The view of the woods out my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees.**

Thalia grinned at the mention of pine trees. Percy noticed an grinned back.

**I'd miss Grover, who'd been a good friend, even if he was a little strange. I worried how he'd survive next year without me.**

Grover just smiled while Zeus commented, "If your a satyr, then why would the demigod need to protect you?" "It will be explained in this book, now shut up dad!"

**I'd miss Latin class, too - Mr. Brunner's crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well.**

**As exam week got closer, Latin was the only test I studied for. I hadn't forgotten what Mr. Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn't sure why, but I'd started to believe him.**

**The evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw the Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology across my dorm room. Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one-eighties as if they were riding skateboards. There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon, or Polydictes and Polydeuces. And conjugating those Latin verbs? Forget it.**

Annabeth glared at him. Percy gulped. "You threw a mythology book across the room? PERSEUS JACKSON, I'M GOING TO HURT YOU!" Sally said nothing to her son's defense. Aphrodite just couldn't help it. She squealed in delight. "Why are you squealing?" Athena asked. Annabeth and Percy looked at the love goddess in fear. "Well since you asked, there are quite a few couples in this room today and it is just so overwhelming. I guess you want to know them huh since one of them involves your daughter!" Athena looked at Annabeth and said, "You better not be dating that sea spawn or so help me that field trip is off and i will disown you-" Athena was cut pff by her daughter. "I am dating Percy and i don't care if you-" She was interrupted by Athena screaming and Percy running. "Sea spawn i am going to torture you before you die and then i will murder you in a very painful way!" Percy stopped dead in his tracks and faced the enraged goddess down. Gone was to lopsided grin. In its place was his murderous glare, "Listen here goddess. I went on a quest to save your daughter when she was taken by the manticore. I took the sky from her. I got furious when she was hurt. I kill spiders for her and i fell into Tartarus to protect her and because i didn't want to be apart from her again. So sit down and don't you dare disown your daughter. She has done more for you than you even imagine. She took on the Mark of Athena and won. So sit down and shut-" was as far as Percy got before Athena tackled him and beat him to near death. "Don't you ever tell me what to do demigod. I here by curse you-" Athena was interrupted by a swirl of golden chains and a golden light appeared.

"Pallas Athena, for harming the Hero of Olympus and almost cursing him, we the Fates sentence you to be restrained for the rest of the book and you can't talk till next chapter. Oh and Percy dear please don't reveal the future like that again. Wait for it to come out in the books. Apollo heal his young man. if we have to sentence one more god i swear this little experiment ill be over for that god or goddess.

**I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt.**

**I remembered Mr. Brunner's serious expression, his thousand-year-old eyes. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson.**

**I took a deep breath. I picked up the mythology book.**

**I'd never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr. Brunner, he could give me some pointers. At least I could apologize for the big fat F I was about to score on his exam. I didn't want to leave YancyAcademy with him thinking I hadn't tried.**

**I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr. Brunner's door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor.**

**I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office. Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said "... worried about Percy, sir."**

**I froze.**

**I'm not usually an eavesdropper, but I dare you to try not listening if you hear your best friend talking about you to an adult.**

"Yea you not being an eavesdropper." Grover commented.

**I inched closer.**

**"... alone this summer," Grover was saying. "I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too - "**

**"We would only make matters worse by rushing him," Mr. Brunner said. "We need the boy to mature more."**

**"But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline - "**

**"Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can."**

**"Sir, he saw her... ."**

**"His imagination," Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that."**

**"Sir, I ... I can't fail in my duties again." Grover's voice was choked with emotion. "You know what that would mean."**

"GROVER UNDERWOOD, ARE YOU STILL STUCK ON THAT?" Thalia cackled. Grover cowered in fear of the girl and said, "Not anymore since you are alive again." Thalia was tempted to shock Grover but decided to keep reading instead.

**"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall - "**

**The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud.**

"Never give your position away" Hermes yelled. "Yea thats a Hermes rule." Travis said.

**Mr. Brunner went silent.**

**My heart hammering, I picked up the book and backed down the hall.**

**A shadow slid across the lighted glass of Brunner's office door, the shadow of something much taller than my wheelchair-bound teacher, holding something that looked suspiciously like an archer's bow.**

"Why is he revealing himself like that in a mortal school? He could have been seen." Artemis questioned. Percy shrugged his shoulders.

**I opened the nearest door and slipped inside.**

**A few seconds later I heard a slow clop-clop-clop, like muffled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal snuffling right outside my door. A large, dark shape paused in front of the glass, then moved on.**

**A bead of sweat trickled down my neck.**

**Somewhere in the hallway, Mr. Brunner spoke. "Nothing," he murmured. "My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice."**

**"Mine neither," Grover said. "But I could have sworn ..."**

**"Go back to the dorm," Mr. Brunner told him. "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow."**

**"Don't remind me."**

**The lights went out in Mr. Brunner's office.**

**I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever.**

**Finally, I slipped out into the hallway and made my way back up to the dorm.**

**Grover was lying on his bed, studying his Latin exam notes like he'd been there all night.**

**"Hey," he said, bleary-eyed. "You going to be ready for this test?"**

**I didn't answer.**

**"You look awful." He frowned. "Is everything okay?"**

**"Just... tired."**

**I turned so he couldn't read my expression, and started getting ready for bed.**

"You know ht wouldn't have worked right since he can read your emotions being a satyr and all right Peter?" Dionysus. "The name is Percy for crying out loud Mr. D!" Percy whined. The gods just laughed at his whining. Thalia cleared her throat as a signal for everyone to shut up.

**I didn't understand what I'd heard downstairs. I wanted to believe I'd imagined the whole thing.**

**But one thing was clear: Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger.**

**The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam, my eyes swimming with all the Greek and Roman names I'd misspelled, Mr. Brunner called me back inside.**

There was aloud thud that was hear through out the room. Leo had passed out at the mentioning of a three hour latin exam. Percy just grinned at his friends antics. Leo came to and spoke one sentence. "Was it really a three hour exam?" Percy just nodded and gestured to Thalia to continue reading.

**For a moment, I was worried he'd found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem.**

**"Percy," he said. "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's ... it's for the best."**

**His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear. Nancy Bobofit smirked at me and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips.**

**I mumbled, "Okay, sir."**

**"I mean ..." Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, like he wasn't sure what to say. "This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time."**

**My eyes stung.**

**Here was my favorite teacher, in front of the class, telling me I couldn't handle it. After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I was destined to get kicked out.**

**"Right," I said, trembling.**

**"No, no," Mr. Brunner said. "Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say ... you're not normal, Percy. That's nothing to be - "**

"Chiron should know he would take that the wrong way. He won't take it the right way and will storm off." Annabeth commented. Percy blushed while Sally hugged her son and whispered. "He didn't mean it in that way. He was trying to tell you that you were special." Percy blushed even deeper while the Stolls were snickering. This earned them one of Annabeth's signature glares. They shu up very fast and Thalia continued reading.

**"Thanks," I blurted. "Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me."**

**"Percy - "**

**But I was already gone.**

**On the last day of the term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase.**

**The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were rich juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies.**

"A family of nobodies? Percy is that what you think of us?" Sally questioned Percy who just looked at her with shock written all over his face. "Mom, i never thought of you as a nobody. I only said a family of nobodies as in no one famous or rich. I love you more than anything. The only loves that comes second is my love for Annabeth." Percy finished. Everyone in that room just stared at the demigod. Annabeth ran up to Percy. _She finally sees he doesn't love her as much as she thinks. Yes daughter slap him!_ Athena thought smugly. Annabeth hued Percy and kissed him. Athena struggled against her bindings but to no avail could she get free. Percy just stared at Annabeth dumbfounded. "What was that kiss for?" "For saying how much you love your mom and me. I love you Seaweed Brain and there isn't anything that could change that." Annabeth said while slightly blushing. Hera cleared her throat to signal that she wanted to talk. "I know that i most likely have not been very nice to you demigod in your past but i say, you have moved me so much with the how much you love your mother." Percy nodded his head at Hera and said nothing. Sally and Annabeth had tears coming down there cheeks. Percy went to comfort his mother when Poseidon stepped in. Percy nodded his head and went to comfort his Annabeth instead.

**They asked me what I'd be doing this summer and I told them I was going back to the city.**

**What I didn't tell them was that I'd have to get a summer job walking dogs or selling magazine subscriptions, and spend my free time worrying about where I'd go to school in the fall.**

**"Oh," one of the guys said. "That's cool."**

**They went back to their conversation as if I'd never existed.**

**The only person I dreaded saying good-bye to was Grover, but as it turned out, I didn't have to. He'd booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound as I had, so there we were, together again, heading into the city.**

**During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he'd always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen. Before, I'd always assumed he was worried about getting teased. But there was nobody to tease him on the Greyhound.**

**Finally I couldn't stand it anymore.**

**I said, "Looking for Kindly Ones?"**

"I bet you gave Grover a heart attack asking him that." Thalia said. Grover said, "I very nearly died with that statement to be honest."

**Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wha - what do you mean?"**

**I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam.**

**Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?"**

**"Oh ... not much. What's the summer solstice dead-line?"**

"Not nuch... YOU HEARD ALL OF IT YOU LITTLE- rmmmrmrmrmrm-" Grover started but was cut off when a gold bond appeared around his mouth. "Grover Underwood, no bad language. That gold bond will stay there till the end of the chapter young man." the Fates said causing everyone to jump. "When did they get here?" Apollo asked. "We decided to stick around and watch the events fold out. Its much more interesting in person." They explained.

**He winced. "Look, Percy ... I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers ..."**

**"Grover - "**

**"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and ..."**

**"Grover, you're a really, really bad liar."**

**His ears turned pink.**

**From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer.**

**The card was in fancy script, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes, but I finally made out something like:**

**Grover Underwood**

**Keeper**

**Half-Blood Hill**

**Long Island, New York**

**(800) 009-0009**

"Why is the card in a fancy script Dionysus?" Hestia asked. "Because i like to see them struggle to make it out." Dionysus explained with a sigh.

**"What's Half - "**

**"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um ... summer address."**

**My heart sank. Grover had a summer home. I'd never considered that his family might be as rich as the others at Yancy.**

**"Okay," I said glumly. "So, like, if I want to come visit your mansion."**

**He nodded. "Or ... or if you need me."**

**"Why would I need you?"**

"Thats just rude Percy." Annabeth said while Thalia shocked the Hades out of him. "I didn't mean it like how it sounder." Percy explained while scooting away from Annabeth and Thalia.

**It came out harsher than I meant it to.**

**Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I - I kind of have to protect you."**

**I stared at him.**

**All year long, I'd gotten in fights, keeping bullies away from him. I'd lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without me.**

**And here he was acting like he was the one who defended me.**

**"Grover," I said, "what exactly are you protecting me from?"**

"Oh you know monsters and murderous gods, and the undead." Annabeth said which earned her some stares. "I thought you wouldn't mention that to anyone Wise Girl because it will result in multiple questions." Percy said while turning red underneath all of those stares. Annabeth covered her mouth and blushed. "HADES YOU CHASED MY SON DOWN? IM GOING TO MURDER YOU, I SWEAR YOU WILL BE-" Poseidon was yelling when he also got bound to his throne. "We will not tolerate anymore violence. You are to remain bond for the next two chapters." The Fates said.

**There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway.**

**After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Grover and I filed outside with everybody else.**

**We were on a stretch of country road - no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand.**

**The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of bloodred cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen.**

Poseidon paled as did Annabeth. "You never told me you saw-mmrmrmrmrmr" Annabeth was muffled by Percy's hand. "i have my reasons why i didn't mention it. now let Thalia continue reading." Percy said in a serious tone. Everyone hushed up.

**I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn.**

**All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses.**

**The weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right at me.**

**I looked over at Grover to say something about this and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching.**

**"Grover?" I said. "Hey, man - "**

**"Tell me they're not looking at you. They are, aren't they?"**

**"Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?"**

"So not the time Percy." Travis said.

**"Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all."**

**The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors - gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath.**

**"We're getting on the bus," he told me. "Come on."**

**"What?" I said. "It's a thousand degrees in there."**

"Listen to him Percy." Poseidon whispered.

**"Come on!'" He pried open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back.**

**Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic. Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for - Sasquatch or Godzilla.'**

Annabeth ran out crying. Sally was about to go check on her when Percy got up and ran after her. Thalia bookmarked the page and ran after them. rover and Nico followed her out of the room. The gods were looking at the Fates who were cackling with knowledge. "Annabeth! Wait !" Percy yelled. Everyone gathered around Percy and Annabeth as Percy spoke. "The string isn't mine. It's Luke's. I didn't figure that out till after the war, that was why i didn't say anything. i didn't want you to feel more upset than you already were." Annabeth looked at Percy and slapped him so hard that the gods heard it in the other room. "PERSEUS JACKSON, DON'T YOU EVER KEEP SOMETHING LIKE THAT FROM ME EVER AGAIN NO MATTER IF YOU WERE TRYING TO SAVE ME FROM MORE HEARTACHE!" Annabeth yelled. Everyone went back into the throne room. Percy was rubbing his face where Annabeth slapped him.

**At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life.**

**The passengers cheered.**

**"Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!"**

**Once we got going, I started feeling feverish, as if I'd caught the flu.**

**Grover didn't look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering.**

**"Grover?"**

**"Yeah?"**

**"What are you not telling me?"**

**He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"**

**"You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like ... Mrs. Dodds, are they?"**

**His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs. Dodds. He said, "Just tell me what you saw."**

**"The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn."**

**He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else, something almost - older.**

"You actually knew something without being told?" Reyna asked. Percy just nodded. Octavian snickered but said nothing when he was glared at by Nico.

**He said, "You saw her snip the cord."**

**"Yeah. So?" But even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal.**

**"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time."**

"Grover, am i gonna have to hear about this through this whole book?" Thalia asked. Grover nodded sheepishly. Before any more was said the Fates made a noise. "Enough now get on with the story, we can't keep time frozen forever you know?"

**"What last time?"**

**"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth."**

**"Grover," I said, because he was really starting to scare me. "What are you talking about?"**

**"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me."**

**This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could.**

**"Is this like a superstition or something?" I asked.**

**No answer.**

**"Grover - that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?"**

**He looked at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I'd like best on my coffin.**

"Wow you are perceptive young demigod." Artemis said. Percy smiled a small smile. "Thats the end of the chapter. Who wants to read next?" Thalia asked. Poseidon took the book. Hera was released from her chains and she got up. She moved around and went to Sally. Poseidon and Percy held their breath. "May i speak with you in another room?" Hera asked. Sally nodded in response and they walked out. Grover's mouth bond was released as well. He went over to Percy and hugged him. "Long time no see man." Percy said with his famous lopsided grin. Grover grinned right back.

**Authors Note: _I was asked to have Leyna in here, and sadly i just can't bring myself to write that in this story knowing what i do, but i can have Leo crush on Reyna. You know typical Leo falling for girls out of his league type stuff. I was also asked to bring in Ella, the Harpy, and that i planned on doing later when i bring in someone else as well (sorry for any spoilers if any of you haven't read HoO). Cookies for everyone! (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) Oh and two donuts for a special reviewer who sent me one! (o) (o) Oh and sorry for any confusion with the switch of time from which he demigods were taken. I will update again when the next chapter is complete. I hope no one was disappointed with the reveal scene of Percabeth to the past Gods.  
_**

**_Read and review ~Piper098_**


	5. GROVER UNEXPECTEDLY LOSES HIS PANTS

**Disclaimer: **

**Me: Hi again i want to thank everyone for reading**

**Thalia: Will you get on with it already. **

**Me: Sorry Lightning Bug. Anyway Annabeth can you-**

**Thalia: WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME? YOU CAN NOT CALL ME THAT!**

**Annabeth: Piper098 doesn't own any of the PJO characters, PJO novels, HoO characters, or HoO novels. *shouting from behind a door followed by screaming and evil laughter* Well I have to go check on them now so bye!**

**Percy: Don't forget to read and review *Annabeth shouting at Thalia for almost killing author of fanfic* I better go in there now. here are some blue chocolate chip cookies from me! (::) (::) (::) (::)**

**~20 minutes later~ **

**Annabeth: I regret to inform you that Piper098 won't be heard from for a little while so us demigods will be taking over until she heals from Thalia's attack. Don't worry the writing will continue, you just won't hear any remarks from her here in the disclaimer or in the Author's note Also she has a poll on her profile. Go check it out. It would really help her.**

* * *

**Chapter 3 GROVER UNEXPECTEDLY LOSES HIS PANTS**

"Percy these titles are getting worse with each chapter!" Annabeth said. "Well im so sorry for being to the point." Percy countered.

**Confession time: I ditched Grover as soon as we got to the bus terminal.**

**I know, I know. It was rude. But Grover was freaking me out, looking at me like I was a dead man, muttering "Why does this always happen?" and "Why does it always have to he sixth grade?"**

"Perseus that was wrong to leave your friend like that even though i understand your reasoning." Hades said.

**Whenever he got upset, Grover's bladder acted up, so I wasn't surprised when, as soon as we got off the bus, he made me promise to wait for him, then made a beeline for the restroom. Instead of waiting, I got my suitcase, slipped outside, and caught the first taxi uptown.**

**"East One-hundred-and-fourth and First," I told the driver.**

**A word about my mother, before you meet her.**

"Awesome." Nico said.

"Wonderful cooking." Grover said.

"Perfect." Percy and Annabeth said together.

"Best mother there is." Thalia said.

Sally blushed at the compliments she got on being a mom. Hera smiled at how even though that woman wasn't even their real mom, they still saw her as one.

**Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the world, which just proves my theory that the best people have the rottenest luck. Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five, and she was raised by an uncle who didn't care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program. Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school her senior year to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma.**

"Zeus how could you do that to the poor girl?" Hera yelled shocking everyone. "I don't remember taking any planes down though so i can't answer that." Zeus said while darting his eyes back and forth guiltily. "You just lied there Uncle." Apollo said. "Fine. i remember that plane crash very well. there was a powerful demigod on that plane who belonged to Poseidon." " THAT WAS YOU WHO KILLED MY DAUGHTER? I AM GOING TO HURT YOU ZEUS!" Poseidon screamed but made no move. The Fates were watching this and spoke before Poseidon murdered Zeus. "If she survived the plane then she would have been killed at the airport by a horde of monsters. We had Zeus take the plane down to spare her a horrible death. So no harming him for sparing your daughter a terrible fate. She was being comforted by a wonderful set of parents as the plane went down. Those were Sally Jackson's. And don't blame Hades about the monsters either. The one to blame has already been taken care of the by Hero of Olympus."

**The only good break she ever got was meeting my dad.**

Sally and Poseidon blushed while everyone else covered their ears due to Aphrodite's squeal.

**I don't have any memories of him, just this sort of warm glow, maybe the barest trace of his smile. My mom doesn't like to talk about him because it makes her sad. She has no pictures.**

**See, they weren't married. She told me he was rich and important, and their relationship was a secret. Then one day, he set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey, and he never came back.**

**Lost at sea, my mom told me. Not dead. Lost at sea.**

"Wow, not a lie but not the truth either. I'm impressed with you Sally. " Hermes said. Sally thanked Hermes for the compliment.

**She worked odd jobs, took night classes to get her high school diploma, and raised me on her own. She never complained or got mad. Not even once. But I knew I wasn't an easy kid.**

**Finally, she married Gabe Ugliano, who was nice the first thirty seconds we knew him, then showed his true colors as a world-class jerk. When I was young, I nicknamed him Smelly Gabe. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. The guy reeked like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts.**

Piper and Aphrodite became green at this description. Percy became somber at the mention of Gabe's name. Annabeth noticed this but couldn't ask anything without everyone else listening. She had a feeling something will be mentioned that Percy didn't like.

**Between the two of us, we made my mom's life pretty hard. The way Smelly Gabe treated her, the way he and I got along ... well, when I came home is a good example.**

**I walked into our little apartment, hoping my mom would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet.**

**Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, "So, you're home."**

**"Where's my mom?"**

**"Working," he said. "You got any cash?"**

"What no welcome back, good to see you? And that is why i hate men!" Artemis exclaimed.

**That was it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months?**

Artemis blushed at how she had he same thoughts as Percy.

**Gabe had put on weight. He looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He had about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp, as if that made him handsome or something.**

**He managed the Electronics Mega-Mart in Queens, but he stayed home most of the time. I don't know why he hadn't been fired long before. He just kept on collecting paychecks, spending the money on cigars that made me nauseous, and on beer, of course. Always beer. Whenever I was home, he expected me to provide his gambling funds. He called that our "guy secret." Meaning, if I told my mom, he would punch my lights out.**

Sally looked at her son and saw anger on his usually happy face. "Percy, did he hit you?" Sally asked her son. Percy didn't respond to his mother. "Percy did that mortal hit you?" Poseidon asked. Percy didn't respond to him either. Annabeth decided it was her turn to ask him in her own way. " Percy can i talk to you? Its important." Percy looked at her. Annabeth was shocked to see her boyfriend's face shadowed with such anger. Percy walked over to her. "Thalia could you come here for a minute i need you to do something." Thalia shrugged and walked on over to her. Annabeth whispered something in her ear which caused Thalia to crack a smile. "Kelp Head, if you don't answer the question Annabeth is about to ask you, then i get to give you a shockingly painful slap. So you better answer." "Percy did Gabe hurt you in anyway.?" "I don't want to talk about it." was his answer. The room shook from an earthquake causing everyone to look at Poseidon who shook his head and pointed to Percy. "Percy did he hurt you?" Sally asked with more authority in her voice. Percy looked t her and said, "Yes he did. Happy now? My secret is out. The Hero of Olympus was abused by an evil man. Please no more questions." Percy said. Annabeth looked closer and saw Percy on the verge of tears. "Everyone drop it now." Annabeth commanded and she added her glared that made her eyes look like steel. No one said anything else. Poseidon continued reading.

**"I don't have any cash," I told him.**

**He raised a greasy eyebrow.**

**Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which was surprising, since his own smell should've covered up everything else.**

Athena gasped. Athena pieced it together and looked at Sally. Sally nodded her head yes.

**"You took a taxi from the bus station," he said. Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"**

**Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looked at me with a twinge of sympathy. "Come on, Gabe," he said. "The kid just got here."**

**"Am I right?" Gabe repeated.**

**Eddie scowled into his bowl of pretzels. The other two guys passed gas in harmony.**

**"Fine," I said. I dug a wad of dollars out of my pocket and threw the money on the table. "I hope you lose."**

**"Your report card came, brain boy!" he shouted after me. "I wouldn't act so snooty!"**

**I slammed the door to my room, which really wasn't my room. During school months, it was Gabe's "study."**

**He didn't study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loved shoving my stuff in the closet, smell like his nasty cologne and cigars and stale beer.**

**I dropped my suitcase on the bed. Home sweet home.**

"Gotta love his sarcasm?" Nico said. All the demigods minus Octavian agreed. Sally could only shake her head. "Why do i have a feeling that the gods from our time really know you as an upstart?" Sally asked her son. All he could muster was a lop-sided smile.

**Gabe's smell was almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs. Dodds, or the sound of that old fruit lady's shears snipping the yarn.**

**But as soon as I thought that, my legs felt weak. I remembered Grover's look of panic - how he'd made me promise I wouldn't go home without him. A sudden chill rolled through me. I felt like someone - something - was looking for me right now, maybe pounding its way up the stairs, growing long, horrible talons.**

**Then I heard my mom's voice. "Percy?"**

**She opened the bedroom door, and my fears melted.**

"Mama's boy." Ares muttered which earned him glares from everyone in the room minus Octavian.

**My mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room. Her eyes sparkle and change color in the light. Her smile is as warm as a quilt. She's got a few gray streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as old. When she looks at me, it's like she's seeing all the good things about me, none of the bad. I've never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me or Gabe.**

"You must have patience made of steel." Annabeth said.

**"Oh, Percy." She hugged me tight. "I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas!"**

**Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central. She'd brought me a huge bag of "free samples," the way she always did when I came home.**

**We sat together on the edge of the bed. While I attacked the blueberry sour strings, she ran her hand through my hair and demanded to know everything I hadn't put in my letters. She didn't mention anything about my getting expelled. She didn't seem to care about that. But was I okay? Was her little boy doing all right?**

**I told her she was smothering me, and to lay off and all that, but secretly, I was really, really glad to see her.**

**From the other room, Gabe yelled, "Hey, Sally - how about some bean dip, huh?"**

**I gritted my teeth.**

Everyone gritted their teeth, including Octavian. "Jackson, i may not like you, but i hate your step father even more." Octavian said. "Don't worry, he gets whats coming to him."

**My mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should've been married to a millionaire, not to some jerk like Gabe.**

"Or a god for that matter." Athena said shocking everyone. "While i'm flattered about that but i have already found love and he is a nice man." Sally said.

**For her sake, I tried to sound upbeat about my last days at YancyAcademy. I told her I wasn't too down about the expulsion. I'd lasted almost the whole year this time. I'd made some new friends. I'd done pretty well in Latin. And honestly, the fights hadn't been as bad as the headmaster said. I liked YancyAcademy. I really did. I put such a good spin on the year, I almost convinced myself. I started choking up, thinking about Grover and Mr. Brunner. Even Nancy Bobofit suddenly didn't seem so bad.**

**Until that trip to the museum ...**

**"What?" my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets. "Did something scare you?"**

**"No, Mom."**

"Don't lie to your mother Percy." Hestia said.

**I felt bad lying. I wanted to tell her about Mrs. Dodds and the three old ladies with the yarn, but I thought it would sound stupid.**

**She pursed her lips. She knew I was holding back, but she didn't push me.**

**"I have a surprise for you," she said. "We're going to the beach."**

"Montauk?" Poseidon asked.

**My eyes widened. "Montauk?"**

**"Three nights - same cabin."**

**"When?"**

**She smiled. "As soon as I get changed."**

**I couldn't believe it. My mom and I hadn't been to Montauk the last two summers, because Gabe said there wasn't enough money.**

**Gabe appeared in the doorway and growled, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?"**

There were growls throughout the room at this. _ I seriously want to torture that man. _ Hades thought.

**I wanted to punch him, but I met my mom's eyes and I understood she was offering me a deal: be nice to Gabe for a little while. Just until she was ready to leave for Montauk. Then we would get out of here.**

**"I was on my way, honey," she told Gabe. "We were just talking about the trip."**

**Gabe's eyes got small. "The trip? You mean you were serious about that?"**

**"I knew it," I muttered. "He won't let us go."**

**"Of course he will," my mom said evenly. "Your stepfather is just worried about money. That's all. Besides," she added, "Gabriel won't have to settle for bean dip. I'll make him enough seven-layer dip for the whole weekend. Guacamole. Sour cream. The works."**

"Bribery... Poseidon how did you manage to catch Sally?" Hermes asked. Poseidon just shrugged.

**Gabe softened a bit. "So this money for your trip ... it comes out of your clothes budget, right?"**

Aphrodite let out a squeal of rage. "HOW DARE HE SAY THAT AND THERE SHOULD BE NO BUDGET FOR CLOTHES!" Everyone cringed at the high pitch scream.

**"Yes, honey," my mother said.**

**"And you won't take my car anywhere but there and back."**

**"We'll be very careful."**

**Gabe scratched his double chin. "Maybe if you hurry with that seven-layer dip ... And maybe if the kid apologizes for interrupting my poker game."**

**Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot, I thought. And make you sing soprano for a week.**

**But my mom's eyes warned me not to make him mad.**

**Why did she put up with this guy? I wanted to scream. Why did she care what he thought?**

**"I'm sorry," I muttered. "I'm really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it right now."**

**Gabe's eyes narrowed. His tiny brain was probably trying to detect sarcasm in my statement.**

"Percy! I love your sarcasm man!" Leo said grinning.

**"Yeah, whatever," he decided.**

**He went back to his game.**

**"Thank you, Percy," my mom said. "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about... whatever you've forgotten to tell me, okay?"**

**For a moment, I thought I saw anxiety in her eyes - the same fear I'd seen in Grover during the bus ride - as if my mom too felt an odd chill in the air.**

**But then her smile returned, and I figured I must have been mistaken. She ruffled my hair and went to make Gabe his seven-layer dip.**

**An hour later we were ready to leave.**

**Gabe took a break from his poker game long enough to watch me lug my mom's bags to the car. He kept griping and groaning about losing her cooking - and more important, his '78 Camaro - for the whole weekend.**

**"Not a scratch on this car, brain boy," he warned me as I loaded the last bag. "Not one little scratch."**

"He is twelve, he can't drive idiot!" Athena screamed at the book. Everyone laughed at this even Athena.

**Like I'd be the one driving. I was twelve. But that didn't matter to Gabe. If a seagull so much as pooped on his paint job, he'd find a way to blame me.**

**Watching him lumber back toward the apartment building, I got so mad I did something I can't explain. As Gabe reached the doorway, I made the hand gesture I'd seen Grover make on the bus, a sort of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over my heart, then a shoving movement toward Gabe. The screen door slammed shut so hard it whacked him in the butt and sent him flying up the staircase as if he'd been shot from a cannon. Maybe it was just the wind, or some freak accident with the hinges, but I didn't stay long enough to find out.**

**I got in the Camaro and told my mom to step on it.**

**Our rental cabin was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It was a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There was always sand in the sheets and spiders in the cabinets, and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in.**

Athena and Annabeth both shivered at the mention of spiders. Percy hugged Annabeth.

**I loved the place.**

**We'd been going there since I was a baby. My mom had been going even longer. She never exactly said, but I knew why the beach was special to her. It was the place where she'd met my dad.**

**As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea.**

**We got there at sunset, opened all the cabin's windows, and went through our usual cleaning routine. We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work.**

**I guess I should explain the blue food.**

"Yes that would be nice considering blue is my color." Zeus said.

**See, Gabe had once told my mom there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed like a really small thing at the time. But ever since, my mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies. She bought blue-corn tortilla chips and brought home blue candy from the shop. This - along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs. Ugliano - was proof that she wasn't totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, like me.**

"Dude, your rebellious streak is 3 miles wide and twenty miles long. Your mom's is nothing compared to that but i see where you get it from." Grover said laughing at how red Percy got.

**When it got dark, we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom told me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash. She told me about the books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop.**

**Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about what was always on my mind whenever we came to Montauk - my father. Mom's eyes went all misty. I figured she would tell me the same things she always did, but I never got tired of hearing them.**

**"He was kind, Percy," she said. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes."**

**Mom fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I wish he could see you, Percy. He would be so proud."**

**I wondered how she could say that. What was so great about me? A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years.**

"Perseus Anthony Jackson! How dare you say that nothing is great about you!" Sally yelled. "In fact, you are so great that we have been called here to read your dventures sincce you are too freaking modest to say anything yourself." Annabeth said adding to Sally's argument.

**"How old was I?" I asked. "I mean ... when he left?"**

**She watched the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin."**

**"But... he knew me as a baby."**

**"No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born."**

**I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember ... something about my father. A warm glow. A smile.**

**I had always assumed he knew me as a baby. My mom had never said it outright, but still, I'd felt it must be true. Now, to be told that he'd never even seen me ...**

**I felt angry at my father. Maybe it was stupid, but I resented him for going on that ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry my mom. He'd left us, and now we were stuck with Smelly Gabe.**

**"Are you going to send me away again?" I asked her. "To another boarding school?"**

**She pulled a marshmallow from the fire.**

**"I don't know, honey." Her voice was heavy. "I think ... I think we'll have to do something."**

**"Because you don't want me around?" I regretted the words as soon as they were out.**

**My mom's eyes welled with tears. She took my hand, squeezed it tight. "Oh, Percy, no. I - I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away."**

**Her words reminded me of what Mr. Brunner had said - that it was best for me to leave Yancy.**

**"Because I'm not normal," I said.**

"Its not a bad thing not being normal and all." Percy said.

**"You say that as if it's a bad thing, Percy. But you don't realize how important you are. I thought YancyAcademy would be far enough away. I thought you'd finally be safe."**

**"Safe from what?"**

**She met my eyes, and a flood of memories came back to me - all the weird, scary things that had ever happened to me, some of which I'd tried to forget.**

**During third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked me on the playground. When the teachers threatened to call the police, he went away growling, but no one believed me when I told them that under his broad-brimmed hat, the man only had one eye, right in the middle of his head.**

**Before that - a really early memory. I was in preschool, and a teacher accidentally put me down for a nap in a cot that a snake had slithered into. My mom screamed when she came to pick me up and found me playing with a limp, scaly rope I'd somehow managed to strangle to death with my meaty toddler hands.**

"Dude that was just like Hercules!" Jason said a little bit jealous. "Don't ever compare me to that evil jerk. I hate him for what he did to a very special friend." Percy dead panned..

**In every single school, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I was forced to move.**

**I knew I should tell my mom about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds at the art museum, about my weird hallucination that I had sliced my math teacher into dust with a sword. But I couldn't make myself tell her. I had a strange feeling the news would end our trip to Montauk, and I didn't want that.**

**"I've tried to keep you as close to me as I could," my mom said. "They told me that was a mistake. But there's only one other option, Percy - the place your father wanted to send you. And I just... I just can't stand to do it."**

**"My father wanted me to go to a special school?"**

**"Not a school," she said softly. "A summer camp."**

"CAMP HALF-BLOOD!" the Greeks yelled at once.

**My head was spinning. Why would my dad - who hadn't even stayed around long enough to see me born - talk to my mom about a summer camp? And if it was so important, why hadn't she ever mentioned it before?**

**"I'm sorry, Percy," she said, seeing the look in my eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I - I couldn't send you to that place. It might mean saying good-bye to you for good."**

**"For good? But if it's only a summer camp ..."**

**She turned toward the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more questions she would start to cry.**

**That night I had a vivid dream.**

**It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle, were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf. The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagles wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuckled somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder.**

**I ran toward them, knowing I had to stop them from killing each other, but I was running in slow motion. I knew I would be too late. I saw the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse's wide eyes, and I screamed, No!**

**I woke with a start.**

**Outside, it really was storming, the kind of storm that cracks trees and blows down houses. There was no horse or eagle on the beach, just lightning making false daylight, and twenty-foot waves pounding the dunes like artillery.**

**With the next thunderclap, my mom woke. She sat up, eyes wide, and said, "Hurricane."**

**I knew that was crazy. Long Island never sees hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seemed to have forgotten. Over the roar of the wind, I heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made my hair stand on end.**

**Then a much closer noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice - someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door.**

**My mother sprang out of bed in her nightgown and threw open the lock.**

**Grover stood framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But he wasn't... he wasn't exactly Grover.**

"How wasn't he Grover?" the Stolls asked snickering. "You'll see."

**"Searching all night," he gasped. "What were you thinking?"**

**My mother looked at me in terror - not scared of Grover, but of why he'd come.**

**"Percy," she said, shouting to be heard over the rain. "What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?"**

**I was frozen, looking at Grover. I couldn't understand what I was seeing.**

**"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" he yelled. "It's right behind me! Didn't you tell her?"**

**I was too shocked to register that he'd just cursed in Ancient Greek, and I'd understood him perfectly. I was too shocked to wonder how Grover had gotten here by himself in the middle of the night. Because Grover didn't have his pants on - and where his legs should be ... where his legs should be ...**

**My mom looked at me sternly and talked in a tone she'd never used before: "Percy. Tell me now!"**

**I stammered something about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds, and my mom stared at me, her face deathly pale in the flashes of lightning.**

**She grabbed her purse, tossed me my rain jacket, and said, "Get to the car. Both of you. Go!"**

**Grover ran for the Camaro - but he wasn't running, exactly. He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder in his legs made sense to me. I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked.**

**Because where his feet should be, there were no feet. There were cloven hooves.**

"Grover! How could you do that You freaked the poor kid out!" Annabeth said. Everyone snickered. "Ok that was the end of the chapter. Who wants to read next?" Poseidon asked. Jason took the book next and got settled for a long chapter when a flash of light was in the room.


	6. MY MOTHER TEACHES ME BULLFIGHTING

**Percy: hi its me again. Piper098 is still injured thanks to Thalia. **

** Annabeth: will you do the disclaimer already!**

**Percy: Fine Piper098 doesn't own us or the books in any way shape or form. As always read and review. Here on some cookies for being patient! (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) **

**Annabeth: Oh and she is very sorry it has taken so long to update**

* * *

When the flashing light died down, standing in the middle of the room were Ella and Rachel. Rachel looked around and saw Percy. "PERCY!" she screamed. The gods were now confused. "Don't you ever do that again mister! Do you know how worried we have been especially Annabeth? I should slap you right now!" Rachel yelled. That was when she noticed she was in Olympus."Why are we here by the way?" she asked. Ella went to sit with Tyson. Aphrodite squealed causing everyone to flinch. Annabeth explained everything to Rachel who turned pale. Annabeth then motioned for Jason to begin reading.

**Chapter 4 MY MOTHER TEACHES ME BULLFIGHTING**

"Sally knows bull fighting?" Apollo asked. Percy shook his head no but wouldn't elaborate on the title of the chapter. Grover and Annabeth had a knowing look.

**We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the windshield. I didn't know how my mom could see anything, but she kept her foot on the gas.**

**Every time there was a flash of lightning, I looked at Grover sitting next to me in the backseat and I wondered if I'd gone insane, or if he was wearing some kind of shag-carpet pants. But, no, the smell was one I remembered from kindergarten field trips to the petting zoo - lanolin, like from wool. The smell of a wet barnyard animal.**

**All I could think to say was, "So, you and my mom... know each other?"**

"really man that is what you ask?" Frank says. Percy just grins in response which causes Thalia to roll her eyes.

**Graver's eyes flitted to the rearview mirror, though there were no cars behind us. "Not exactly," he said. "I mean, we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you."**

**"Watching me?"**

**"Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend," he added hastily. "I am your friend."**

**"Urn ... what are you, exactly?"**

**"That doesn't matter right now."**

**"It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey - "**

**Grover let out a sharp, throaty "Blaa-ha-ha!"**

**I'd heard him make that sound before, but I'd always assumed it was a nervous laugh. Now I realized it was more of an irritated bleat.**

**"Goat!" he cried.**

**"What?"**

**"I'm a goat from the waist down."**

" You just said it didnt matter!" Reyna yelled. Jason laughed and then shut up when she glared at him. "And what is so funny Jason Grace?" She said. Jason paled before continuing to read.

**"You just said it didn't matter."**

"Are you telling me i think like Percy?!" Reyna screamed. This caused everyone to laugh. The Fates themselves were also laughing. _I'm glad we decided to watch this in person._ One of them telepathically sent to the others.

**"Blaa-ha-ha! There are satyrs who would trample you underhoof for such an insult!"**

**"Whoa. Wait. Satyrs. You mean like ... Mr. Brunner's myths?"**

**"Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth, Percy? Was Mrs. Dodds a myth?"**

**"So you admit there was a Mrs. Dodds!"**

"So not the time for the Mrs. Dodds thing Percy. Seriously why bring that up again?" Thalia said. Percy stuck his tongue out at her which earned a zap from Thalia who became wet. "Percy i'm going to murder you if you don't dry me right now!" Percy just laughed but stopped laughing when his mother looked at him. He dried Thalia instantly and Jason continued to read.

**"Of course."**

**"Then why - "**

**"The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract," Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious. "We put Mist over the humans' eyes. We hoped you'd think the Kindly One was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to realize who you are."**

**"Who I - wait a minute, what do you mean?"**

**The weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was still on our trail.**

**"Percy," my mom said, "there's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety."**

**"Safety from what? Who's after me?"**

**"Oh, nobody much," Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment. "Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions."**

"Grover! Did you really have to tell him that?" Annabeth said. Grover just turned beet red.

**"Grover!"**

**"Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. Could you drive faster, please?"**

**I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening, but I couldn't do it. I knew this wasn't a dream. I had no imagination. I could never dream up something this weird.**

**My mom made a hard left. We swerved onto a narrower road, racing past darkened farmhouses and wooded hills and PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES signs on white picket fences.**

**"Where are we going?" I asked.**

**"The summer camp I told you about." My mother's voice was tight; she was trying for my sake not to be scared. "The place your father wanted to send you."**

**"The place you didn't want me to go."**

**"Please, dear," my mother begged. "This is hard enough. Try to understand. You're in danger."**

**"Because some old ladies cut yarn."**

**"Those weren't old ladies," Grover said. "Those were the Fates. Do you know what it means - the fact they appeared in front of you? They only do that when you're about to ... when someone's about to die."**

"You just had to say 'when you're about to' didnt you grover?" Thalia says shaking her head.

**"Whoa. You said 'you.'"**

**"No I didn't. I said 'someone.'"**

**"You meant 'you.' As in me."**

**"I meant you, like 'someone.' Not you, you."**

**"Boys!" my mom said.**

**She pulled the wheel hard to the right, and I got a glimpse of a figure she'd swerved to avoid - a dark fluttering shape now lost behind us in the storm.**

**"What was that?" I asked.**

**"We're almost there," my mother said, ignoring my question. "Another mile. Please. Please. Please."**

"Wow she also knows how to avoid a question." Hermes commented.

**I didn't know where there was, but I found myself leaning forward in the car, anticipating, wanting us to arrive.**

**Outside, nothing but rain and darkness - the kind of empty countryside you get way out on the tip of Long Island. I thought about Mrs. Dodds and the moment when she'd changed into the thing with pointed teeth and leathery wings. My limbs went numb from delayed shock. She really hadn't been human. She'd meant to kill me.**

"Of course she meant to kill you! Gods Kelp Head you really are a seaweed brain!" Thalia said smiling. Jason couldn't help bu smirk at how Thalia picked oN Percy.

**Then I thought about Mr. Brunner ... and the sword he had thrown me. Before I could ask Grover about that, the hair rose on the back of my neck. There was a blinding flash, a jaw-rattling boom!, and our car exploded.**

**I remember feeling weightless, like I was being crushed, fried, and hosed down all at the same time.**

**I peeled my forehead off the back of the driver's seat and said, "Ow."**

"Typical Percy response." Annabeth said while hugging him. He blushed causing Aphrodite and Piper to go "Awe!" "Piper, your Aphrodite is showing" Hazel said causing everyone to jump. "Hazel almost forgot you were there." Reyna said.

**"Percy!" my mom shouted.**

**"I'm okay... ."**

**I tried to shake off the daze. I wasn't dead. The car hadn't really exploded. We'd swerved into a ditch. Our driver's-side doors were wedged in the mud. The roof had cracked open like an eggshell and rain was pouring in.**

**Lightning. That was the only explanation. We'd been blasted right off the road. Next to me in the backseat was a big motionless lump. "Grover!"**

Zeus paled. "ZEUS, YOU TRIED TO KILL MY SON AND HIS MOM BEFORE HE EVEN KNEW ANYTHING?" Poseidon didnt move from his throne though for fear of the Fates. The Fates were in a corner laughing.

**He was slumped over, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. I shook his furry hip, thinking, No! Even if you are half barnyard animal, you're my best friend and I don't want you to die!**

**Then he groaned "Food," and I knew there was hope.**

"He said food and that gave you hope?" Octavian said shocked. He then mumbles, "Typical faun." Percy hears this and glares causing Octavian to flinch.

**"Percy," my mother said, "we have to ..." Her voice faltered.**

**I looked back. In a flash of lightning, through the mud-spattered rear windshield, I saw a figure lumbering toward us on the shoulder of the road. The sight of it made my skin crawl. It was a dark silhouette of a huge guy, like a football player. He seemed to be holding a blanket over his head. His top half was bulky and fuzzy. His upraised hands made it look like he had horns.**

**I swallowed hard. "Who is - "**

**"Percy," my mother said, deadly serious. "Get out of the car."**

**My mother threw herself against the driver's-side door. It was jammed shut in the mud. I tried mine. Stuck too. I looked up desperately at the hole in the roof. It might've been an exit, but the edges were sizzling and smoking.**

**"Climb out the passenger's side!" my mother told me. "Percy - you have to run. Do you see that big tree?"**

**"What?"**

**Another flash of lightning, and through the smoking hole in the roof I saw the tree she meant: a huge, White House Christmas tree-sized pine at the crest of the nearest hill.**

Thalia smiled and said, "Look im already in the book!" Jason looked at his sister confused. Percy could only smile. _What does he know about my sister? _Jason wondered.

**"That's the property line," my mom said. "Get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don't look back. Yell for help. Don't stop until you reach the door."**

**"Mom, you're coming too."**

**Her face was pale, her eyes as sad as when she looked at the ocean.**

**"No!" I shouted. "You are coming with me. Help me carry Grover."**

"Percy mortals can't cross the boundary line." Hestia said.

**"Food!" Grover moaned, a little louder.**

**The man with the blanket on his head kept coming toward us, making his grunting, snorting noises. As he got closer, I realized he couldn't be holding a blanket over his head, because his hands - huge meaty hands - were swinging at his sides. There was no blanket. Meaning the bulky, fuzzy mass that was too big to be his head ... was his head. And the points that looked like horns ...**

**"He doesn't want us," my mother told me. "He wants you. Besides, I can't cross the property line."**

**"But..."**

**"We don't have time, Percy. Go. Please."**

**I got mad, then - mad at my mother, at Grover the goat, at the thing with horns that was lumbering toward us slowly and deliberately like, like a bull.**

"Oh no. Never make Percy mad. the results aren't pretty" Annabeth said and every demigod shook their in agreement.

**I climbed across Grover and pushed the door open into the rain. "We're going together. Come on, Mom."**

**"I told you - "**

**"Mom! I am not leaving you. Help me with Grover."**

**I didn't wait for her answer. I scrambled outside, dragging Grover from the car. He was surprisingly light, but I couldn't have carried him very far if my mom hadn't come to my aid.**

**Together, we draped Grover's arms over our shoulders and started stumbling uphill through wet waist-high grass.**

**Glancing back, I got my first clear look at the monster. He was seven feet tall, easy, his arms and legs like something from the cover of Muscle Man magazine - bulging biceps and triceps and a bunch of other 'ceps, all stuffed like baseballs under vein-webbed skin. He wore no clothes except underwear - I mean, bright white Fruit of the Looms - which would've looked funny, except that the top half of his body was so scary. Coarse brown hair started at about his belly button and got thicker as it reached his shoulders.**

Piper and Aphrodite were green. "You dont have to be so descriptive you know Percy" Piper said. Percy smiled.

**His neck was a mass of muscle and fur leading up to his enormous head, which had a snout as long as my arm, snotty nostrils with a gleaming brass ring, cruel black eyes, and horns - enormous black-and-white horns with points you just couldn't get from an electric sharpener.**

**I recognized the monster, all right. He had been in one of the first stories Mr. Brunner told us. But he couldn't be real.**

**I blinked the rain out of my eyes. "That's - "**

**"Pasiphae's son," my mother said. "I wish I'd known how badly they want to kill you."**

**"But he's the Min - "**

**"Don't say his name," she warned. "Names have power."**

"She is a smart one. Poseidon how did you ever manage to grab her?" Athena asked. Poseidon blushed as did Sally.

**The pine tree was still way too far - a hundred yards uphill at least.**

**I glanced behind me again.**

**The bull-man hunched over our car, looking in the windows - or not looking, exactly. More like snuffling, nuzzling. I wasn't sure why he bothered, since we were only about fifty feet away.**

**"Food?" Grover moaned.**

**"Shhh," I told him. "Mom, what's he doing? Doesn't he see us?"**

**"His sight and hearing are terrible," she said. "He goes by smell. But he'll figure out where we are soon enough."**

**As if on cue, the bull-man bellowed in rage. He picked up Gabe's Camaro by the torn roof, the chassis creaking and groaning. He raised the car over his head and threw it down the road. It slammed into the wet asphalt and skidded in a shower of sparks for about half a mile before coming to a stop. The gas tank exploded.**

**Not a scratch, I remembered Gabe saying.**

"Oops." Octavian said and Jason burst out laughing. Octavian glared.

**Oops.**

Octavian paled a bit. "I think like a Greek?"

**"Percy," my mom said. "When he sees us, he'll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way - directly sideways. He can't change directions very well once he's charging. Do you understand?"**

**"How do you know all this?"**

**"I've been worried about an attack for a long time. I should have expected this. I was selfish, keeping you near me."**

**"Keeping me near you? But - "**

**Another bellow of rage, and the bull-man started tromping uphill.**

**He'd smelled us.**

**The pine tree was only a few more yards, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn't getting any lighter.**

**The bull-man closed in. Another few seconds and he'd be on top of us.**

**My mother must've been exhausted, but she shouldered Grover. "Go, Percy! Separate! Remember what I said."**

**I didn't want to split up, but I had the feeling she was right - it was our only chance. I sprinted to the left, turned, and saw the creature bearing down on me. His black eyes glowed with hate. He reeked like rotten meat.**

**He lowered his head and charged, those razor-sharp horns aimed straight at my chest.**

**The fear in my stomach made me want to bolt, but that wouldn't work. I could never outrun this thing. So I held my ground, and at the last moment, I jumped to the side.**

**The bull-man stormed past like a freight train, then bellowed with frustration and turned, but not toward me this time, toward my mother, who was setting Grover down in the grass.**

**We'd reached the crest of the hill. Down the other side I could see a valley, just as my mother had said, and the lights of a farmhouse glowing yellow through the rain. But that was half a mile away. We'd never make it.**

**The bull-man grunted, pawing the ground. He kept eyeing my mother, who was now retreating slowly downhill, back toward the road, trying to lead the monster away from Grover.**

**"Run, Percy!" she told me. "I can't go any farther. Run!"**

**But I just stood there, frozen in fear, as the monster charged her. She tried to sidestep, as she'd told me to do, but the monster had learned his lesson. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the neck as she tried to get away. He lifted her as she struggled, kicking and pummeling the air.**

**"Mom!"**

**She caught my eyes, managed to choke out one last word: "Go!"**

**Then, with an angry roar, the monster closed his fists around my mother's neck, and she dissolved before my eyes, melting into light, a shimmering golden form, as if she were a holographic projection. A blinding flash, and she was simply ... gone.**

**"No!"**

Sally hugged her son. Poseidon looked at Hades angrily. "You kidnapped her with the force of the Minotaur? what is wrong with you?" Hades paled even more than he already was. Everyone in the room who didn't know this looked at Percy. Jason was even a little bit sorry for being jealous.

**Anger replaced my fear. Newfound strength burned in my limbs - the same rush of energy I'd gotten when Mrs. Dodds grew talons.**

**The bull-man bore down on Grover, who lay helpless in the grass. The monster hunched over, snuffling my best friend, as if he were about to lift Grover up and make him dissolve too.**

**I couldn't allow that.**

**I stripped off my red rain jacket.**

**"Hey!" I screamed, waving the jacket, running to one side of the monster. "Hey, stupid! Ground beef!"**

"You need to come up with some better names." Hermes said.

**"Raaaarrrrr!" The monster turned toward me, shaking his meaty fists.**

**I had an idea - a stupid idea, but better than no idea at all. I put my back to the big pine tree and waved my red jacket in front of the bull-man, thinking I'd jump out of the way at the last moment.**

Annabeth said, "Thank gods it was a stupid idea." This caused everyone to look at her funny. She then explained. "when he gets a stupid idea, that means it will work and keep him from dying."

**But it didn't happen like that.**

**The bull-man charged too fast, his arms out to grab me whichever way I tried to dodge.**

**Time slowed down.**

**My legs tensed. I couldn't jump sideways, so I leaped straight up, kicking off from the creature's head, using it as a springboard, turning in midair, and landing on his neck.**

**How did I do that? I didn't have time to figure it out. A millisecond later, the monster's head slammed into the tree and the impact nearly knocked my teeth out.**

**The bull-man staggered around, trying to shake me. I locked my arms around his horns to keep from being thrown. Thunder and lightning were still going strong. The rain was in my eyes.**

**The smell of rotten meat burned my nostrils.**

**The monster shook himself around and bucked like a rodeo bull. He should have just backed up into the tree and smashed me flat, but I was starting to realize that this thing had only one gear: forward.**

**Meanwhile, Grover started groaning in the grass. I wanted to yell at him to shut up, but the way I was getting tossed around, if I opened my mouth I'd bite my own tongue off.**

**"Food!" Grover moaned.**

**The bull-man wheeled toward him, pawed the ground again, and got ready to charge. I thought about how he had squeezed the life out of my mother, made her disappear in a flash of light, and rage filled me like high-octane fuel. I got both hands around one horn and I pulled backward with all my might. The monster tensed, gave a surprised grunt, then - snap!**

Ares looked the most shocked out of all the gods. "Thats not possible!" he shouted. Everyone looked at Percy. "what? i didnt do anything extraordinary or anything." Thalia facepalmed.

**The bull-man screamed and flung me through the air. I landed flat on my back in the grass. My head smacked against a rock. When I sat up, my vision was blurry, but I had a horn in my hands, a ragged bone weapon the size of a knife.**

**The monster charged.**

**Without thinking, I rolled to one side and came up kneeling. As the monster barreled past, I drove the broken horn straight into his side, right up under his furry rib cage.**

**The bull-man roared in agony. He flailed, clawing at his chest, then began to disintegrate - not like my mother, in a flash of golden light, but like crumbling sand, blown away in chunks by the wind, the same way Mrs. Dodds had burst apart.**

**The monster was gone.**

**The rain had stopped. The storm still rumbled, but only in the distance. I smelled like livestock and my knees were shaking. My head felt like it was splitting open. I was weak and scared and trembling with grief I'd just seen my mother vanish. I wanted to lie down and cry, but there was Grover, needing my help, so I managed to haul him up and stagger down into the valley, toward the lights of the farmhouse. I was crying, calling for my mother, but I held on to Grover - I wasn't going to let him go.**

Grover looked at Percy. "You are a great friend Percy. He smiled back in response. "Would i ever leave a friend behind?"

**The last thing I remember is collapsing on a wooden porch, looking up at a ceiling fan circling above me, moths flying around a yellow light, and the stern faces of a familiar-looking bearded man and a pretty girl, her blond hair curled like a princess's. They both looked down at me, and the girl said, "He's the one. He must be." **

"Princess curls? She is obviously your daughter Aphrodite." Athena said. "I don't thing she is deary." Athena glared.

**"Silence, Annabeth," the man said. "He's still conscious. Bring him inside."**

Athena was shocked. She looked at Annabeth. "What did you mean he has to be the one?" Annabeth wouldn't meet her mother's gaze. "I can't tell you. Its from the future."


End file.
